This invention relates to a method for use in laparoscopic hernia repair.
A hernia results when a person's abdominal wall is torn to form an opening. A portion of the person's internal body organs, including a portion of the peritoneal lining, is then displaced through the opening and into the inguinal tissues. Pain is generated upon the pinching of the displaced internal body organ or organs by the opening in the abdominal wall.
Although some progress has been made in simplifying hernial repair operations, for example, through the use of laparoscopic means, there is yet opportunity for improvement. Laparoscopic repair of hernias conventionally involves the insertion of a laparoscope through a trocar sleeve or laparoscopic cannula which itself traverse abdominal muscles of the patient. The laparoscope is manipulated from outside the patient to push and displace connective tissue to thereby form a pre-peritoneal space which may be enlarged and maintained in an enlarged configuration by inflation with carbon dioxide gas.
A shortcoming of this conventional laparoscopic procedure is that the light receiving surfaces at the distal end of the laparoscope become covered with organic matter, thereby interfering with the visualization of the internal structures via the laparoscope. Accordingly, the laparoscope must be periodically withdrawn to allow a cleaning of the distal end. This procedure takes time and energy and requires vigilance in maintaining the sterility of the laparoscope.